Dance with the Devil
by Mujitsu
Summary: AU. Kagome, vessel of the Shikon no Tama, is the unknowing destined mate of Sesshoumaru, lord of the demon underworld. However, a new threat is revealed, forcing the two to collide and Kagome will be drawn into a world she could never have dreamt.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That honor belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I do, however, own the plot of this story.

Notes: This is inspired by the song "Dance with the Devil" by Breaking Benjamin. I was rocking out in my car last night, and this plot just came to me. This is a ONE-SHOT, guys, but it's going to be broken up into two or three parts…so would that technically make it a chapter story? Hmmmm. There is a playlist at the end of this part that shows what music I listened to while writing this. I feel the songs definitely helped me channel the emotions. This is in the AU universe, just to let you know.

Beta: Wiccan.

Dance with the Devil

Part I

* * *

It was cold.

Far too cold to be wandering around the festival clad only in a thin shirt and jumper to protect small arms and legs from the almost soul-numbing chill. Being only seven, though, Kagome Higurashi could not see over the swarm of adult bodies to try to find her mother, who had her jacket. She danced from foot to foot to try to bring some of the warmth in her body back, but also in indecision. Where should she look first? Her mommy had wanted to try to find a good spot to view the fireworks, and their hands were locked firmly together as they navigated the crowd. However, her younger brother, Souta, just over a year old, had started squirming in her mommy's arms and she'd had to let go of Kagome's hand to make sure he was okay. It was only for a moment, but Kagome had seen something in the crowd and her attention was diverted from her family. She pouted to herself as she remembered what had her distracted. It was a man, a tall man, clad only in white. His flawless kimono, contrasted with the cheerier blues, oranges, pinks, and yellows of the festival had shone like a beacon to Kagome, and her eyes couldn't help but follow his form.

She couldn't see his face, but she saw a waterfall of thick, silvery hair, and her fingers itched to run her hands through the pretty hair, much as she would do to one of her dolls at home. Thinking about playing with his hair is what made her let go of her mommy's hand; now she had lost her in the crowd, and the man with the pretty hair was gone too. Kagome pouted, but couldn't hold her lips together for a long time because her teeth had started to chatter.

Loud laughter sounded close by her small body, causing her to jump a bit. What had been pretty lights and colorful, noisy game booths in the beginning were becoming overwhelmingly too bright and loud. It was starting to scare her and, instinctively, she edged toward the outskirts of the crowd to escape the auditory and sensory input.

She sighed in relief as she reached the outskirts of the crowd and blended in with the shadows clinging to the happy scene. Kagome, unlike most little girls, loved the dark and did not fear being alone. The quieter atmosphere soothed her even as she shivered in the cool night. Maybe her mommy went to the meadow just outside where the festival was held to watch the fireworks. Kagome could cut around the now annoying din of people and games if she followed the slightly woodier paths and could meet her mother there. Then, finally, she could get her jacket and stop shivering.

Nodding her head faintly in agreement with her plan, she left the well-populated festival area for the more deserted paths which could take her where she needed to go.

Perhaps she should have heeded her mother's warning about wandering around in the dark alone, but Kagome never paid attention to those warnings. The darkness enveloped her, bringing her a strange sort of peace and solitude that, even at her young age, she could appreciate. Crickets chirped and leaves rustled in the trees, providing a soothing melody for her journey and, being the light-hearted child that she was, she began to hum a little song in contentment. She would soon find her mommy and be warm again. She always looked forward to the fireworks show, even if she did find them to be a bit loud and overpowering. Maybe she could convince her mommy to get her some of the candy she saw at one booth a while back. She couldn't share it with Souta yet because he was still too young for it, but Grandpa was waiting for them back home and he would like it if she brought some to him.

She skipped along, lights from the festival fading in and out as she passed like a waif through the trees, enjoying as her eyes adjusted to the natural moonlight to bring the wooded area to life. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. Something white had filtered in the edge of her vision, and she looked around curiously.

There!

To the right of her, deeper into the large trees and natural openings of the land, she saw another streak of white. It was the man from before, walking calmly through the forest as the moonlight reflected off of his pretty hair. Indecisively, she chewed on her lip. She really wanted to follow the man and ask if she could touch his hair. Her mother would probably say that asking someone a question like that was rude but… well, her mother wasn't here, now was she? But he was almost out of her sight now, heading towards the darker, deeper parts of the forest, and Kagome was still cold and wanted her jacket. The wind picked up just then, sending the man's hair gently swaying in its caress, and her mind was made up. She had to go after him.

He was out of her sight now, but she quickly walked to where she saw him last, stumbling a bit over some roots and weeds that were growing thicker the deeper she went into the forest. Frantically, she squinted to see if she could catch a glimpse of the man again, her breath shuddering in and out of her tiny chest as she saw him through another cropping of trees ahead of her. Grimly, she pressed her lips together and followed. She was going to touch his hair tonight and see if it felt as soft as it looked.

Her little legs carried her as fast as they could through the trees, until she reached the edge of a small clearing, gasping quietly for breath. She caught it abruptly as she saw the man about twenty feet in front of her with his back facing her way, but she saw he was not alone.

Instinctively, she crouched into the cover of some bushes as her eyes rested on the pretty haired man's companion. He didn't look as nice as the man with pretty hair at all, and her heart began beating faster.

Inky hair whipped in the small breeze, matching the dark kimono that he wore, but it was his face that made her start to feel slightly afraid. It was… off. Glittering eyes the same color as his hair rested on the silver haired man, but his expression wasn't friendly. His lips were twisted into an imitation of a smile, but really looked like a baring of teeth that Kagome had seen dangerous animals give to one another. It looked like he wanted to hurt the silver-haired man.

Kagome wanted to leave that place, quickly. The man with the dark eyes was scaring her and she wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible. She couldn't hold in the faint gasp that escaped her as clouds covered the light of the moon and she could have _sworn_ his eyes flashed red. The clouds moved on as quickly as they had come, and the stranger's eyes were black once more, but she knew what she had seen. He was not normal.

She held her breath, afraid that the scary man had heard her involuntary response. However, it was the silver-haired man that moved first, slowly circling the other man until it was only him in her line of view. She could no longer see the scary man, but she was also sure that the scary man couldn't see her. She could only see the broad, white clad back of the silver man in front of her. Had the silver man heard her and made it so that she couldn't be discovered? At that moment, she didn't really care; all she wanted was to get out of there. Before she could move, however, the scary man spoke.

"Sesshoumaru-sama. What a strange twist of fate seeing you here tonight. I never knew that you would willingly spend your time mingling among the humans. The rumor of the Shikon Jewel's presence in this small town must have reached you as well."

Shikon Jewel? Kagome paused as her little brow knit up in concentration. She had heard of the jewel before, from her grandfather. He described a pretty pink stone no larger than a marble, but could grant wishes to whoever had it. It had seemed like something out of the fairy-tales that Kagome loved, but she knew it didn't really exist. But the strange, scary man said that it was here?

"Naraku," her eyes jerked to the silver haired man as he spoke for the first time, a deep, dark tone that strangely went well with his otherworldly appearance. Kagome found herself listening eagerly to hear it again. "I figured you would hear about the jewel's whereabouts and cause a senseless commotion again. Regardless of my feelings for the humans, negative or positive, you know the rules of our society."

The scary man scowled darkly, making Kagome shiver. "Yes, yes, of course, the _rules_," he replied scathingly. "That useless, idiotic decree that you father made about never revealing our nature to the humans is starting to wear thin. We are the dominant species." He paused as a sinister smirk crossed his cruel lips. "It would be a small matter for either of us to go to that pleasant little festival that is being held by the little cretins and make the ground run with their blood. We should be _ruling_ this world and instead we are confined to live in its shadows like mindless beasts cowering in fear from their masters."

"We _are_ beasts," the pretty man… Sesshoumaru-sama… said, piquing Kagome's interest. "We merely create the façade of humanity, but I can see the monster inside of you. The humans cannot."

"You fail to include yourself, Sesshoumaru-sama. You should know intimately of the monster within yourself, just as I do mine."

The pretty haired man didn't reply.

"I will find the Shikon no Tama soon, Sesshoumaru-sama," the scary man, Naraku, said, his voice turning hard. "And that absurd decree your father made centuries ago will no longer stand."

"Are you challenging the will of your betters?" The pretty haired man's voice was very cool and quiet, and it made Kagome give a little shiver. Her mother's quiet voice was scary when Kagome did something she was not supposed to do, but this man made her voice seem soft and nice in comparison. She wouldn't want to be in trouble with him.

"Betters? You rule our world because of your status as a TaiYoukai and your pure blood. Once I have the Shikon no Tama, you will be no better to me than that child hiding in the bushes behind you."

Kagome gasped, realizing that the scary man had known she was there all along. She abruptly stood up and broke into a sprint away from the scary man; her only goal was the get away. Instinctively, she knew that if she stayed, she would be hurt. A dull buzzing filled her ears steadily getting louder, and she fell to the ground when something hit against her shoulder. Scrambling quickly to her knees, she almost screamed as she saw a huge wasp-like creature hovering over her with its stinger pointed directly at her heart.

She heard the dark-haired man laugh, but couldn't take her eyes off of the tip of that stinger that was slowly heading for her body. "How pathetic. We need to hide our true nature so creatures like her can continue to live in peace. Alas, she has already seen too much, don't you agree, Sesshoumaru-sama? In keeping with your father's code of silence, this girl must be eliminated. We would not want for her to go to the other weaklings with stories to tell, hmm?"

Kagome watched in horror as the giant bee moved closer, mere inches from her chest, and she felt something shift within her. She didn't want to die! She felt a power build inside of her, waiting to be released and her skin fairly crawled with the need to release it. The monster in front of her, seeming to sense her intentions, suddenly jerked forwards to plunge its stinger home, and Kagome could not move fast enough. She could only scream.

A bright flash cut her off abruptly, and the creature fell in pieces around her. Wide eyed, she looked towards the silver haired man, who was calmly retracting a whip from what looked like his fingertips. Kagome finally received her first true glance at his face and could not seem to find her breath. Glittering eyes the color of her mother's gold jewelry stared impassively at her, and even at her age, Kagome could recognize the beauty of his face. Magenta stripes marked each side of his cheeks like claw marks, but it was the faint blue crescent moon in the middle of his forehead, right above those incredible eyes, that held her captivated. Those eyes turned away from her and glared at the dark man who had tried to kill her.

An evil chuckle reached her ears. "What's this? Sesshoumaru-sama protecting a human child? You would disregard your father's own decree for her life?"

Sesshoumaru made no reply, but the whip from his fingertips twitched at his sides.

"Ah, don't be too hasty, Sesshoumaru," the monster said, and a dark cloud emerged from around his body. "Miasma could kill her just as quickly as my bees. Save her quickly, if you so desire. We can continue our conversation later, after the Shikon no Tama is in my grasp."

Kagome fought the urge to scream as the dark mist reached for her, and she started coughing violently. Her lungs were burning, and her vision was becoming cloudy from the effects of whatever kind of poison was entering her. Slowly, she slumped to the side as her consciousness faded away, seeing the silver man's whip flash once more but miss as the scary man was carried away by multiple bees that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The last thing she heard was his evil chuckle, and then she surrendered to the darkness…

* * *

Sesshoumaru glared at the space Naraku had occupied moments before, clenching his claws in repressed rage. Stupid fool. The disgusting hanyou had been a thorn in his side since he made his presence known in the demon world, and this was just another complication. Naraku's obsession with the Shikon jewel was going to be his downfall one day, but Sesshoumaru knew the lengths the hanyou was willing to go to possess the trinket, easily destroying the frail peace that existed between the human world and the demon world.

Tonight was just another example of the crafty hanyou's work. Sesshoumaru knew that, if not for his presence at the festival tonight, Naraku would have massacred the humans there in his quest for the mysterious jewel that could grant wishes. Sesshoumaru snorted inwardly. The Shikon no Tama existed all right, but not in any place that Naraku would be able to find.

Sighing softly, one of the only outward signs of his fatigue and frustration, his eyes turned to the girl who had really sparked the entire incident. Waving a clawed hand, he called on his control as a poison master to dissipate the remaining miasma in the area as well as what had collected in the lungs of the human girl.

Kagome Higurashi.

The bearer of the Shikon no Tama, and unaware Miko.

Also… his future mate, even though she did not realize it.

He frowned to himself, even as he gathered up her small, frail form in his arms. He had not really meant to get her involved tonight; she was supposed to be enjoying this time with her family, not frolicking through the woods after him. He had of course scented her following him, the smell of her purity and innocence affecting him the same way it had since her birth, distracting and tantalizing. And he did not intend to reveal her location to Naraku, but the hanyou had caught on regardless.

She had been born with the Shikon no Tama in her small body, thus sealing her fate to him. He had kept track of her since her birth to a normal family, and would continue to watch her from the shadows until she reached full maturity. However, her status as the Shikon Miko as well as his destined mate was sure to give her a shock, and he wanted her to have as many years of normalcy as possible before he revealed his identity.

But the little idiot never seemed to follow the plans he laid out for her. Her kind and loving nature had ensured that she gave her trust willingly to basically any person that came along. While he would gratefully cherish that loving nature when it came time to reveal his relationship to her, it was exasperating to see in the meantime. It also meant a full-time job when it came to protecting her. He had eyes on her at all times, even when he was not able to be near her. Thankfully, however, he had been available tonight to watch over her. What was supposed to be a fun festival for her and her family had turned into a battle and a close call.

He couldn't help but smile wryly down on the innocent face bathed in moonlight that had caused this whole fiasco. A stoic being by nature, Sesshoumaru was disinclined to show any amount of emotion in front of other creatures, humans and demons alike, but for her, he could be as he truly was.

He picked his way through the woods and the trees, planning to leave her in the meadow close to her mother where she would hopefully write tonight off as a strange hallucination. But that did not mean he did not relish what little contact he had with her. Much too young for him to feel any sexual attraction to, he nonetheless felt warmer in her presence than he had in a long time. He only ever got to watch her from a distance, or command others to watch her. This was his first physical encounter with her in her lifetime, and he knew he would jealously guard these few precious moments in his heart until it was time to let her go and remember them in the frustratingly empty moments he would return to once he had left her.

The faint breeze picked up again, blowing locks of his unbound hair softly into her face. Fascinated, he watched as she unconsciously grasped a few strands and smiled softly.

"Silver…soft," she whispered, and he smirked. When she was older, she could play with his hair all she liked, he thought. But for now, as the noises from the festival grew louder and louder, it was time to let her go.

"Until next time…Kagome," he whispered.

* * *

"Kagome! Kagome!!"

Kagome frowned, still floating in a dark haze as a faint voice disturbed her sleep. She had been… somewhere. She had been following someone.

And then something bad happened.

"Kagome!"

She whimpered quietly, drawing her knees closer to her chest as faint glimpses of red eyes, dark mist, and buzzing filled her thoughts.

"Kagome, wake up! I've been worried sick!"

She jerked awake and blinked; gasping as she quickly joined the land of the living. Her mother's face filled her vision, concerned eyes looking over her as if assessing her for damage.

"Mama?" she whispered.

"For goodness sakes, Kagome, you should know better than to wander off," her mother began to scold, seeing that her daughter was all right. "I had almost half of the festival looking for you when I realized you were missing, but none of us could find you. We reached the meadow only to find you sound asleep." Her voice was sharp, but only because of residual worry. "Don't ever wander away like that again."

Kagome frowned as she looked around. A small circle of people had gathered above her, and she realized she was lying on the grass of the same meadow she had been trying to reach all along. But then, what about the images she still saw in her mind?

Had it all been a dream?

She shook her head to try and will away the fuzziness, but nothing became clear.

A loud boom filled the air, causing her to jump in fright. Looking up, she saw that the fireworks show had started.

"You'll receive your punishment when we get home, young lady," her mother said sternly. "But for now, enjoy the fireworks. I know how much you like them."

Nodding absently, Kagome tried to focus on the lights and sounds filling the air from the colorful fireworks.

She couldn't really remember anything between getting lost and ending up in the meadow. Just vague images and sounds of a sinister being.

But the one thing she could bring to mind with perfect clarity was a set of glittering gold eyes, staring down on her before going blank.

It wasn't an image that was likely to leave her mind soon.

* * *

(End of part one. I am writing part two as we speak, and it should be up soon. If you enjoyed, please review!)

Playlist:

Dance with the Devil- Breaking Benjamin

Salvation- The Devil Wears Prada

Stolen- Dashboard Confessional

You Found Me- The Fray

Iris- Goo Goo Dolls

Collide- Howie Day

If It Kills Me- Jason Mraz

Anywhere But Here- Safetysuit

Bonds- Toshiro Masuda (Naruto Soundtrack)

Sold My Soul- The Used

Until next time, kiddies,

Mujitsu


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: There WILL be one more part following this one, but due to the wonderful holidays and the fact that I would love to spend time with my "other" family, it's not going to come until after Christmas. Until then, enjoy this part, and I hope your Christmas is wonderful!

Dance With the Devil

Part II

_Fifteen years later…_

It was cold.

The beginning of December had brought with it the bitter frost of winter, causing pedestrians to scurry along the sidewalks in the snow in an effort to stave off the chill and reach their warm destinations sooner.

Kagome Higurashi was no different, although she did stop from time to time on the sidewalk to enjoy the gentle flakes of snow that caressed her cheeks. She loved how the white of the ice fell softly onto her hair and skin and melted there, melding until they were one. She loved looking out of her windows and seeing the frost on them, shades of silver and ivory covering the darkness of the earth. White had always been one of her favorite shades.

An image of white hair filled her mind, but she quickly shook her head and began briskly walking again. Classes were over for the semester at the local college she attended, and she had gotten together with a few of her fellow students that night to celebrate the end of finals. In another two years, she would receive her History degree with an emphasis in Mythology and perhaps work as a researcher. She didn't quite know what to do with her degree once she got it, but she was happy she was studying something that was so fascinating to her. She couldn't have picked another degree, not when there were so many stories of legends, Gods, Demons, and monsters to explore.

Glancing at her watch, she broke into a light jog when she realized if she didn't hurry, she was going to miss the subway. It was already pretty late and the crowd had thinned to slow trickle, allowing Kagome to reach the subway entrance fairly quickly, her footsteps echoing in the tunnel as she raced down the stairs to the platform.

She cheered mentally when she realized the train was just pulling up and she joined the few other people waiting to board. Sitting on one of the hard-backed seats, she settled down for the short ride to the stop that would take her closest to the shrine. Glancing around curiously, she noticed that only two other people were in her car and none of them were paying attention to her. A middle aged woman who looked worn and tired slumped in her seat a few rows away, packages at her feet, and Kagome knew she had been shopping that day. The Christmas rush was just beginning, and she made a note to herself that she needed to get started as well. Her brother, Souta, was going to be entering his second year of high school, and there was a new video game that he had been going on and on about the last few weeks. If she picked up another shift at the library where she worked, she might be able to afford it.

Mentally tallying her finances, she took a cursory glance at the other occupant of the car but almost immediately looked away. His clothes were rumpled and unkempt, and he looked gaunt and pale, like he hadn't had a good meal in a while. While Kagome usually felt compassion for people like that, it was his eyes that made her turn away. They were dark and intent, giving off a vibe of unfriendliness. They reminded her of another pair of dark eyes that sometimes haunted her nightmares, flashing red before she woke up gasping. After that strange festival when she was seven, she realized everything that she thought she had seen must have been a dream. There was no man with dark eyes, and neither was there a man with silver hair. She had been dreaming. But that didn't stop her from remembering images from time to time. Just as red eyes plagued her nightmares, in quieter, calmer times, she dreamt of gold, and silver, and warmth.

She had never stopped dreaming of silver and gold, and every now and then a moon on a forehead the color of the snow she loved so much flashed through her mind. However, no matter how many times she dreamed of a shadowy figure with ethereal features, she knew it would never be a reality. The moon and the hair just proved it. There was no being alive who had those features, and when Kagome realized that, it just reinforced in her mind that she had been dreaming all along. Even if that thought did send a sharp pang of… what? Longing? Loneliness?

Minutes passed and Kagome was lost in her own thoughts. The train stopped, leaving the tired woman with the packages on the platform when it began to move again. Kagome's stop was the next one, and she was looking forward to a warm cup of hot cocoa and maybe a late night conversation with her mother. This semester had been rough and she barely spent any time with the older woman anymore. Maybe for her mother's Christmas present she would take her out, a girls' day just for the two of them. They could go to the local day spa and get facials, manicures, and pedicures, then go out for a nice lunch. She smiled a pleased little smile as plans started forming in her mind, but after a moment she felt uneasy.

Warily glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw that she was alone now on the car with the intimidating man. And he was staring at her.

Her eyes caught his for a moment, and she gave a weak smile before shifting her gaze, hoping he would do the same. But he still continued to stare at her. Shifting self-consciously, Kagome felt uncomfortable. She could feel his eyes on her, and she fervently prayed that the train would hurry so she could get to her stop and away from him. Something about him was… off.

She repressed a shudder as another glimpse of dark eyes in the moonlight flashed through her mind. The sooner she got off of the subway, the better. Thankfully, she didn't have that long to wait and she felt the train slow in preparation to stop. After she got off it was just a short walk to the shrine, and she could finish her night in peace.

Gathering up her bag and tightening her scarf around her neck, she hurriedly left the warm car to face the icy chill that awaited her on the street. Furtively casting a quick look around, she almost groaned in dismay when she saw that the strange man had exited after her and was slowly following the same path she was taking up the stairs to the street level. She turned right at the top and walked briskly away from the station, wanting to get home as soon as possible.

Her shoulders hunched against the cold and against the stalked feeling she was beginning to feel as the man continued to follow her at an unhurried pace. Lessons from past self-defense classes came to her mind, and she dug her keys out of her purse, clenching them in her fist. Although she was just running on instinct, it never hurt to be too careful, especially since this area was practically deserted this time of night. The falling snow silently floated to the ground, creating an eerie atmosphere that caused the fine hairs on her neck to stand up at attention.

Kagome began walking faster, her heart pounding as she could hear the stranger behind her pick up the pace as well. Crap, crap, _crap_. Her brother was always warning her not to walk by herself late at night, but she considered herself to be an able-bodied female. Now, though, she was wishing she had gotten a ride home with one of her friends.

She turned a corner sharply, almost grinning in relief as she saw the stairs to the shrine no more than a hundred feet away. She would be able to ditch the creep and, at the next available opportunity, she was going to buy pepper spray for herself.

Furtively, she cast one more glance over her shoulder to make sure crazy stalker guy was still behind her, but she spun around abruptly when she realized he wasn't there. Breath beginning to come faster, her gaze darted around her, squinting in the dark. There was nothing but the silence of the snow and her breathing. Creeped out in more ways than one, Kagome turned back to the entrance to the shrine, but drew up short once more.

Dark eyes gazed at her, amused, from the bottom of the shrine steps.

"What do you want?" Kagome asked sharply, clenching the hand that held her keys harder. "I'll scream in a minute."

"Please do," he purred, and burst into action.

Inhaling sharply, Kagome instinctively backed up but blinked in horrified surprise when the man's form blurred, disappeared, and reappeared directly in front of her. What was he? No normal human being should be able to move that fast! In no more than a heartbeat, he had crossed a few dozen feet. As promised, a scream built up in her throat, but a steely hand blocked her airway, trapping the panicked sound in her lungs.

She was jerked forward by the grip on her throat until his nose was almost touching her cheek. She tried to choke out a breath, but his grip was too tight. She reached up to try to pry his fingers away from her trachea, but they were like iron. Kagome stilled as he inhaled deeply, as if savoring her. She held back a shudder as she felt something wet behind her ear and realized it was his tongue. She frantically renewed her struggles, desperation giving her added strength that did not seem to make a dent in her attacker. The lack of air was beginning to affect her, and she felt her blows become weaker.

Panic filled every pore of her body and she heard the man give a low laugh. She felt him reach up and pull out the pin holding up her hair, causing a cascade down her back to her hips. The wind immediately blew the locks turbulently around their forms, and disgust filled her as he breathed in even deeper.

"You smell delicious," he whispered, and his other hand tangled in her dark hair, jerking forward harshly. With the strong grip still held around her throat, she felt the edges of her consciousness dim. Her hands limply fell to her sides and there was a roaring in her ears as a few tears spilled out from the corners of her eyes, dropping to the snow beneath them.

Suddenly, she was thrown through the air, hitting the ground hard and rolling a few times in the snow before stopping dizzily. Something had flown at them, causing her attacker to let go and jump back.

"You gotta death wish or something, asshole? Don't you know that she is Sesshoumaru's woman?"

Shuddering, Kagome's head jerked up at the sound of that name. Sesshoumaru. Groggily, her dreams came back to her. Silver hair in the moonlight. Golden eyes staring unwaveringly into glittering black eyes of malice. Pushing herself to her knees, her gaze blearily tried to focus on the voice of her savior.

Her eyes widened as long locks of white fluttered in the freezing breeze, snow mixing imperceptibly with the hair until you couldn't tell the difference. The man looked down on her and she almost choked as the same gold from her dreams stared down on her in resignation.

"Shit," he murmured almost to himself as he surreptitiously looked her over. "Sesshoumaru's going to be pissed that you were hurt." His gaze turned back to the enemy. "You made her cry. That's a death sentence in itself, but you are lucky he's not here right now or your ass would be melted already. So instead, I'm going to claw you into little bite sized pieces and leave you to the birds." A different voice, a slightly different face than the one that had plagued so many of her nights, but the similarities were there as well. She had the nagging sick feeling that maybe she hadn't been dreaming after all. Movement caught her gaze and, when her eyes drifted to the top of the young man's head, she stared in disbelief.

Were those… ears? _Dog_ ears?

She shook her head slightly. Perhaps the lack of oxygen was causing her to hallucinate. She _wasn't_ lying the snow staring up at a strange boy who bore a strong resemblance to the man she had dreamt of so long ago. The man who had choked her _wasn't_ getting to his feet in a defensive position, holding up claw-tipped hands. Since when did humans have claws? Nope… this was all just another dream. The school semester had taken a harder toll on her than she thought and, mixed with the cold… well, it was all another hallucination. Just like when she was seven. She was going to wake up any moment and head up to the shrine and get that cup of hot chocolate she had been dreaming about earlier. She and her mother were going to stay up and talk about inane things, giggling into the night while Souta walked in every now and then and rolled his eyes.

Except… she was still shivering on the cold ground, hair twisting around her, and she couldn't wake up no matter how hard she tried. Instead, she could only stare in mute shock as the newcomer and her attacker squared off against each other. Her attacker's eyes flashed red in the dark, and she almost whimpered. Those eyes… those eyes never meant anything good.

As if sensing her panic, her dog-eared rescuer turned to look at her briefly once more, taking in her huge blue eyes that seemed to swallow her overly pale face. His hard gold eyes softened minutely and he said in an almost gentle voice, "Close your eyes, Kagome. You don't need to see this," and held up his own claw-tipped fingers.

Not even fazed by the fact that he knew her name, Kagome squeezed her eyes closed, wishing she had put her hands over her ears, as the sounds of snarls, screeches, and the horrible, horrible sound of ripping flesh drifted to her. It only seemed to be a moment, however, when she heard silence and the beginning of soft footsteps coming towards her. Eyes snapping open, she scrambled back on her hands and knees to get away from the white-haired man coming her way. She still didn't really know what was going on but, beside the fact this whole thing wasn't a dream; she still had a few facts.

One, whatever attacked her was not human. Humans' eyes do not flash red. They do not have claws and super-human speed.

Two, puppy guy wasn't human either, and just because he saved her didn't mean she trusted him. Her eyes flicked behind him and she could see no trace of her previous attacker, which meant that this guy was stronger than the one who had captured her. The only reason she wasn't screaming her head off now was because he seemed to know who Sesshoumaru was. If events in her past weren't dreams either, then that meant Sesshoumaru was a real person and not just some figment of her imagination.

"Whoa, chill, lady," dog-boy said. He snorted in exasperation. "I'm not gonna kill you. Are you okay?"

Kagome couldn't seem to speak. The shock that she had gone through was starting to crash down on her, and she began trembling violently on the cold ground.

"Shit, okay, not all right," he said, running his fingers through his hair agitatedly. "Okay, look. Look. I'm not going to hurt you, all right? I'm going to give you my jacket, and then I'm going to take you home, okay? Mrs. Higurashi is probably worried sick about you right now, and Sesshoumaru is going to be pissed enough as it is, so I gotta get you home. Do you believe me?"

Teeth chattering, Kagome's eyes bored into the man's in front of her as if gauging his sincerity. Granted, those puppy ears twitching on top of his head were abnormal, but jumped up his "innocent looking" factor. Plus, he seemed to know her family and, more importantly, he knew Sesshoumaru. Before she could really think about it, she felt her head give a jerky nod.

"Okay then," the man sighed, kneeling down in front of her while taking off his heavy jacket. "I'm Inuyasha. I bet you have a lot of questions, but they are going to have to wait a while." He draped his coat around her and easily picked her up as if she weighed no more than a feather. "The shit's already hit the fan enough tonight as it is," he continued, seeming to mutter to himself. "Damn it, how do you always get yourself into these messes?"

"E-excuse me," she managed between clenched teeth. "I h-hardly asked to be attacked."

"Yeah, but it always seems to happen, doesn't it?" His voice turned surprisingly cheery. "Oh, well. After tonight, you're Sesshoumaru's problem. I know he wanted to wait a bit longer before everything came out into the open, but what are you going to do? Naraku's little goons keep causing problems."

Kagome began trembling again even harder. Naraku. The monster with the red eyes. He actually existed.

"Shit," Inuyasha breathed, feeling her increasing anxiety, and rushed up the stairs to the shrine where her home resided. Kagome didn't question how he knew his way around the shrine as he purposefully walked to the back door where the kitchen was, and most likely where her mother was also. She was trying not to question anything too much tonight.

However, she did receive a start when he opened the door and her mother jumped up from the table exclaiming, "Inuyasha! What are you doing here? What happened to Kagome?"

"It's okay, Mrs. H. I took care of it. But, uh—well, the cat's kind of out of the bag now, don't you think?" He wiggled the ears on top of his head visibly as he made his point. "I need to call Sesshoumaru and see what he wants to do." He placed Kagome gently onto one of the kitchen chairs. "Can you get her something warm to drink? She's had a few shocks tonight."

Despite her growing confusion and curiosity, she couldn't help but snort inwardly at that understatement. How did her mother know Inuyasha? Granted, her mother had always been very adaptable to every situation, but having a supposed stranger barge into your kitchen with puppy ears on his head and your daughter in his arms was bound to raise more than just a few standard questions. The fact that her mother knew Inuyasha's name meant that her mother knew more than Kagome did about this entire situation.

As her mother bustled around the kitchen, she saw Inuyasha grab a slim phone from his pocket and press a number on speed dial. She made no attempt to hide her attempts to hear the conversation.

"Hey, it's me. We have a bit of a problem. What? No, she's fine… well, kinda. Don't get pissy, she's just in shock! But, well, one of Naraku's guys went after her and she saw me and him fight and… We're at her house now, and I think you better get down her so you can explain things. It will be better coming from you anyway. Yeah, okay."

He hung up the phone and blew out a breath. "Bastard."

"Inuyasha!" her mother scolded, and Kagome saw dog ears droop a bit.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Anyway, Sesshoumaru's on his way."

Kagome perked up, although it still seemed like she couldn't get her mouth open to talk and little shivers kept running through her tiny frame.

"Kagome?" She turned at the sound of her mother's voice. "Why don't you change out of your wet clothes, okay? It will help you warm up."

Kagome nodded faintly and stood up on shaky legs, beginning to walk in a daze out of the kitchen. Sesshoumaru was on his way here. She was going to get to see him again. Her memories as a child were vague and murky, mostly because she thought he was a dream, but he wasn't. He was flesh and blood and he was on his way to her house.

"Mama?" she said, finally forcing her mouth open as she turned back into the room. "Everything will be explained, right?"

Her mother and Inuyasha exchanged a glance, and Kagome felt her gaze narrow. "I expect answers when I come back."

She left the room, leaving the two remaining people staring after her.

"Shit," Inuyasha said again.

This time, her mother didn't say anything.

* * *

Changing her clothes did much to warm her up, but her nerves were still strung tight, mostly from anticipation. Who was Sesshoumaru? And what did she have to do with him? Why had her mother known all along who these people were? And really, who _were_ these people? She felt a little bit like Alice must have when she first fell down the rabbit hole but, at the same time, she was excited.

She couldn't explain it, but she felt like her life was going to change tonight, and everything lay in the unknown hands of Sesshoumaru. She was honest enough to admit that as she grew older, she looked forward to dreaming about his eyes, his face; even though she knew he didn't exist. She had tried to ignore the residual heat she felt in her body when she first woke up after having those dreams, but she felt tingles in her body even now. She was not much of a dater; her social life was healthy, but romance never seemed to come her way. At least, the kind of romance she wanted. The college boys she had contact with seemed just that - boys. She didn't really know what she was looking for, but she knew that wasn't it. And she had been waiting… it seemed like since she was a child.

Walking back down the stairs, she heard a voice raised from the kitchen and realized that Inuyasha was yelling. Quickly, she picked up her pace, but the voices stopped just as she rounded the corner. Her gaze was unresistingly drawn to the face she had only seen once long ago, and since then, only in her dreams. Her breath seemed to stop and something within her clicked.

His eyes were just as bright as she remembered, brighter than Inuyasha's because of his paler skin. Skin the color of snow that matched his beautiful hair, which hung down far past his waist in a river of silk. Her fingers tingled to touch it.

He would dwarf her if she stood next to him, the top of her head only coming up to his shoulders and he slowly walked towards her. He stopped about a foot from her body, enough to feel his heat, and her eyes gazed over his features as his gazed over her.

Slowly, he brought a hand up, as if to touch her hair, and that brought her out of the trance she had put herself in. He had claws.

His hand paused in mid-air as she took a small step in retreat from him, and his lips frowned. It was quick, but she seemed to catch a quick glimpse of hurt before his hand slowly fell down to his side once more.

Her breath shuddered at that small glimpse. She didn't know why, but she knew immediately in the very depths of her soul that she didn't want to do anything to hurt him. He had _saved_ her when she was a child, and she had been fascinated with him since then. It had been a gut reaction on her part to draw away, but after seeing that look - which she never really wanted to see in his eyes again - she tried to make amends.

Moving quickly, she grasped the hand he had let fall, and almost gasped at the warmth. She cradled his bigger hand in her two small ones, not brave enough to brush it against her cheek like she knew he might have done had she not stepped away, but enough to squeeze it firmly.

"Sesshoumaru," she spoke first, her voice coming out breathier than she had ever heard before. "I _knew_ I didn't dream you."

At first she was afraid of his reaction. He had gone still when she touched him, and she wondered if she was being too forward. She didn't even know him, after all, despite the strange connection she felt to him. But, just as her grip had started to fade, she felt his fingers wrap around her and those gilded eyes softened just the slightest bit.

"Hn," was all he replied to her, but it was enough for a small smile from her. "Inuyasha," he continued, turning to the other male in the room, "Leave us."

She almost had to close her eyes when she heard his voice again after so long. It had affected her strongly when she was a child, but even more so now. Now, it felt like that deep voice reverberated throughout her entire being until she was filled with it. Dimly, she realized that her mother and Inuyasha were leaving the kitchen, leaving her alone with Sesshoumaru.

This time, when his hand came up, she didn't flinch. Her eyes did close as his thumb gently brushed the dried tearstains on her face as if erasing them. She opened them just in time to see something flash in his eyes, something dangerous and scary but not directed at her. It warmed her heart.

However, she needed to keep her wits about her if she wanted to get any answers, and she reluctantly stepped away from him. Grabbing a seat at the small table, she waited with a barely veiled impatience as he slowly followed suit, sitting his large frame down across from her, gazing at her now with indiscernible eyes.

"I had wished," he began in a slow voice, "to keep you sheltered for just a little bit longer before knowing of my world, but certain circumstances have forced those plans to change. You have already been exposed to my world, once when you were seven, and then again tonight."

She nodded. "You guys are vampires."

"Oi, we're not fucking vampires," she heard Inuyasha yell from the living room. "Where in the hell did you get that idea?"

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru intoned, and the yelling subsided. However, he raised his eyebrows at her as if to ask, _Really? Vampires?_

"What?" she shot back defensively. It had been the only logical explanation she could come up with. "I mean, come on. You guys have claws, and the guy that jumped me tonight had fangs. You are super fast and strong with other abilities. What else am I supposed to think?"

"We are demons, Kagome. Youkai."

That brought her up short. "Youkai?"

"I am the TaiYoukai currently presiding over the demon world. Inuyasha is a half-demon, a hanyou, and also my half-brother. The person that attacked you was a pawn of Naraku, also a hanyou, but not by traditional means. Naraku is an enemy of mine and wants a certain artifact to help him gain power to take over my position. You know of the Shikon no Tama?"

She nodded faintly. "I've heard about it since I was little, but always believed it to be a myth. I've studied more on it in my classes since then. Supposedly it can grant a wish to the wielder."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Precisely. There is a prophecy that the Shikon Miko will bring peace between humans and demons. My father, Inu no Taisho, was the former leader before I was and set certain regulations for the demon world regarding humans. However, there will never be true peace until the clans unite. One demon and one human."

"Unite?"

"Mate," he said baldly.

A bright blush stained her face. "Oh," she replied inanely.

"Kagome," he said suddenly, pinning her with an intense gaze and leaning forward slightly. "The prophecy is that the Shikon Miko will mate with the ruler of the demons, thus bringing peace. So, you know who the Shikon Miko is?"

She shook her head.

He smiled at that and she saw a flash of fangs as he flashed a slightly disarming smirk.

"You."

You could hear a pin drop in the next room over. The silence was so thick, Kagome felt like she was choking in it, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. What _could _she say?

She decided she needed clarification.

"So what you're saying is…"

"You were mine as soon as you were born," he replied smoothly, and her breath caught at the looks he sent her. If tingles had been crawling under skin before, he was causing sparks now. Strangely, she wasn't freaking out. Perhaps she had inherited her mother's calm when it came to strange situations. Speaking of her mother…

"Mother knew about all of this."

"Of course. As soon as news of your birth hit us, precautions had to be made to protect you."

"Because of the jewel," she stated flatly, and he frowned at her.

"Because of _you_," he stressed. "You were to be the mate of this Sesshoumaru. Anything happening to you would have made me very… displeased."

"Meaning he would have gone on a homicidal rampage," Inuyasha decided to pipe up from the living room once more.

Cold silence met his statement, and she heard a loud sigh. "Fine, fine, I'm gonna go patrol the shrine. I'll let you finish your explanations in peace." Kagome heard the front door open and shut and silence reigned once more.

"You were there when I was seven," Kagome spoke, bringing his full attention back to her. "I followed you that night at the festival because I was curious about your… about the way you look." Another damning blush filled her cheeks at her almost admission of her fascination with his hair. "Why didn't you let me know then? Why did you let me think everything was a dream?" _Why didn't you come for me sooner?_ was the unspoken question.

"Kagome, you saw Naraku that night. He has taken his hatred of humans and thirst for power to an extreme, but there are many others within my world who could easily do the same."

A flashback of the conversation she had heard that night between the two demons entered her consciousness:

"_We should be ruling this world and instead we are confined to live in its shadows like mindless beasts cowering in fear from their masters."_

"_We are beasts… We merely create the façade of humanity, but I can see the monster inside of you. The humans cannot."_

"_You fail to include yourself, Sesshoumaru-sama. You should know intimately of the monster within yourself, just as I do mine."_

"The balance of peace is a fine one in our world."

"Because you are governed by your beasts?"

He blinked at her. "Some more than others. Those who have the will to control their beasts are the ones fit to mingle with humans. Others are monitored carefully by our enforcers. However, beasts are beasts and there have been… situations where enforcement came late. It was decided that you should be spared of any knowledge of our species until you matured enough to do so."

Her eyes narrowed at him, and damned if she didn't look enticing. "Decided by whom? You? If I hadn't been attacked tonight, when would you have told me about you?"

He hesitated for a moment; something that she could discern just by looking at him was uncharacteristic. "Your twenty-fifth birthday."

"That's three years from now, Sesshoumaru."

"Yes, I am aware of that," he said drolly. "No one has been more aware of how much longer it would have been than me." He paused, and then sucked in a sharp breath. "To have to wait for you to know who I am… that I even existed… the way I felt about it was… unexpected." She watched his fists clench. "To only observe your life rather than to participate it was not something I would have chosen for myself, but you had to be protected. You had to be safe."

His voice never changed tone or intensity, but quickly Kagome had already learned some subtle nuances about him, through his body language and his expressive eyes. It caused a little bubble of happiness in her to realize that he never wanted to hide his identity from her. She had thought before that she was reacting rather well to this entire situation, accepting the fact that she was to be the mate of someone she barely knew but, in some unexplainable way, she _did_ know him. And this felt right, whatever it was. She had been dreaming about him all this time, and she figured that she was half in love with him already. Plus, from the sound of it, he was not impartial to her either. And that made another thought form.

"Sesshoumaru, how old are you?"

His hands unclenched as he looked at her curiously. It took him a moment to do some mental math. "I believe I will be close to my eighth hundred year. I will reach full maturity when I reach a millennium."

Her eyes wanted to bug out of her head, seeing as how he didn't look a day over his early twenties, but she thought she restrained herself admirably. "And have you ever had a mate before?"

"No." Shortly.

"I see. So you have been waiting all of this time for me when you could have told me when I was eighteen. But instead you wanted to protect me." Okay, so maybe she was a little bit more than halfway in love with him. She reached out across the table and grabbed his hand again. "Thank you."

She watched his eyes do that curious softening once more, but his smile turned wicked. Slowly, he brought her hand to his thin lips and pressed a light kiss to her fingertips. His lips were soft and warm, and that tiny contact sparked a wave of heat in Kagome so powerful she felt almost dizzy with it. She gripped her fingers around his and pulled away, just to escape the heat for a moment.

He took it as fear.

"Are you afraid of me?" he demanded. She had been through a lot that night and had barely been introduced to the idea that monsters did exist. Not only that, but that her destined mate was, in essence, the biggest monster of all, ruling over them. But, he could not have her afraid. For too long he had been alone. Too long had he been waiting for her. She would never know of the torture and frustration he had been through these twenty-two years of her life. He thought of the one encounter with her from years ago every night and replayed every moment in his mind until he thought he would go mad with waiting for her.

He was pleased to see her eyes widen after his question and immediately put her hand on his cheek. His eyes became hooded with pleasure as she stroked softly.

"No, of course not! Sesshoumaru, you saved me! And you've been watching over me waiting until I was old enough to know the truth. Most girls would probably be freaking out about this whole situation, but you've been in my mind since I was a little girl. And if prophecy says we are meant to be together, and you have no objections, I'm not going to complain either. I just… _feel _too much when I'm around you, and that is what scares me."

He gave a nod of understanding, pleased that she seemed to be affected by him as much as he knew he was going to be affected by her. The mating wouldn't take place for some time in deference to her human sensibilities and the fact that she would most likely want to know him more personally before anything physical took place. He had no such qualms; in the process of watching her grow up, he also had the privilege of seeing her turn into a creature that even he could admit was gorgeous. Just glancing at her now caused something tight to grow in his chest. Tousled midnight hair fell in gentle waves down her slim back and blue eyes gazed out from a pixie face. She had curves in all the places curves should be, but was delicate enough to appeal to his instincts. He was looking forward to the more… physical pleasures of mating but, for her he would continue to wait. She would come to him, willing and hot, no matter how long it took. And, after her admission, it appeared it would happen sooner than they both thought.

"So the man tonight," Kagome began, taking her hand away from his cheek, which he reluctantly allowed. "Was he sent from Naraku? To try and get the Shikon no Tama from me?"

He nodded, leaning nonchalantly back in his chair. "He has been evasive for the past few months, following any lead of the Shikon no Tama that could lead him to find it. Earlier last month he found the scrolls that foretold the prophecy of the Shikon Miko. Further research gave him your name and he has been targeting you since. Sending that man tonight has just sealed his death."

His voice was dark on the last note, but Kagome wasn't afraid of it. If she was truly honest, she was a bit happy he cared so much about her and was willing to punish those who hurt her. She had almost been choked to death tonight, and even remembering the feeling of fingers around her neck caused her to shudder inwardly.

The sound of a cell phone ringing pierced the air around them, and Sesshoumaru picked up without a greeting. He never said a word before he hung up, but his eyes had narrowed and that dangerous look was back in them as he slowly stood up.

"Inuyasha," he said in a slightly raised voice, and a few seconds passed before Inuyasha entered through the back door.

"You found him?" the hanyou asked, a small smile of anticipation lighting up his features.

Sesshoumaru gave a short nod. "Be ready to leave in a moment."

Kagome stood up as well, an anxious bubble welling up in her chest. "Found who? Naraku?"

Inuyasha discretely left again, leaving the two alone.

"You're going after him _now_?" she squeaked.

"This is an opportunity that only a fool would miss." Unspoken was the fact that if Naraku kept getting away, he would become an even bigger threat to Kagome and that… Would. _Not._ Happen.

But he could smell the anxiety come off her in waves, her hands twisting together until they were turning white, and he couldn't really let that happen either.

"Kagome."

She looked up at him, her emotions in her eyes. She had only just met him and now he was going to face the _**real**_ monster that had haunted her dreams. What if he didn't come back? What if he got hurt? She was no longer surprised at the depth of feeling she had for him. It felt right. _They_ felt right.

He walked slowly toward her until she had to crane her head back to keep contact with his amazing eyes. "I will come back for you."

"Promise?" she whispered, her voice trembling only the slightest.

Instead of answering her verbally, he gave in to his desires and answered her the only way he could. She didn't have time to blink before his lips were on hers, devouring hungrily, even if chastely. He didn't want to scare her off, but he _needed _this contact from her and, oh _God,_ it was glorious. Her gasping breaths and soft sound of surprise were swallowed by his greedy mouth, and helpless, she responded eagerly.

He let out a deep moan as her mouth opened to his and his tongue immediately plunged inside to taste, to _claim,_ as he had wanted to all along. Her body shifted closer to him and he was drenched in her heat and passion until his demonic blood was pulsing hotly throughout his body and into his head until it was roaring.

He changed the angle of his head and his tongue scraped the top of her mouth. She went fairly limp in his grasp and he growled in triumph. Her mouth was innocently giving and the passion he had awakened in her would fill his long life with unspeakable pleasure, something he would soon be claiming from her. But first, he needed to rid the world of the threat against her.

One last scrape of his fangs against her swollen lips, and he found the strength to let her go. Her dazed blue eyes were dark under her hooded eyelids, and he almost grabbed her again but managed to resist.

"Wait here for me," he said, his voice dark with the lust and other emotions she evoked within him, and she nodded her head mutely in response.

A heartbeat passed and he was gone. Falling heavily back into her chair, she lifted trembling fingers to her blood-filled lips and closed her eyes. She would trust in him, trust in the promise he had left her, and wait.

After all, he had waited years for her.

It was time to return the favor.

* * *

A/N: Okay, kiddies! One more part, which I think may include a lemon to follow, so look forward to it. And please, if you enjoyed this story, please review and tell me your thoughts on it!

Mujitsu


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Oh, man, I am so excited right now! This story was nominated for Best Alternate Universe on the Dokuga awards. Also, my oneshot based after Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" was nominated for Best One Shot. Voting starts Saturday, so if you enjoyed these stories, please go vote! And to those who nominated, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I truly wasn't expecting any nominations this quarter, so you have my gratitude.

Warnings: This is pretty much one big ol' lemon. Under 18? Please leave. Other than that, enjoy!

Dance With the Devil

Part III

It was so hot.

Her blood felt like it was boiling in her veins as she lay on the bed gasping for breath. She vaguely contemplated the irony that it was the head of ice between her legs that was causing the fire. The cool satiny fall of hair brushed her thighs, causing her muscles to jerk. Then Sesshoumaru gave another lick and a low sound of pleasure, and she stopped thinking at all.

It had been a month since that fateful night, the night when Sesshoumaru appeared before her not as a dream, but as a flesh and blood being. The Lord of the demon underworld, and according to him, her soon-to-be mate. Not that she was complaining (especially when his wicked, _mobile _tongue brushed against her most intimate area exactly like _that_), oh, no. He was her dream man. And her dream man was real, very, very real, and very much enthusiastically feasting on her as if she was his last meal.

So much had happened since that one night, most importantly the defeat of Naraku. Sesshoumaru had left that night and had taken care of the freakish hanyou once and for all. According to Inuyasha, it hadn't taken very long. Apparently the threat against Kagome had driven Sesshoumaru to take care of the problem as swiftly and deadly as possible. Naraku had barely stood a chance.

The hanyou demon had been furious that his lackey had failed in gaining the Shikon Miko, and that anger had created a sense of arrogance and hurt pride that had caused him to act rashly and in haste when he realized Sesshoumaru would come after him. The battle would have ended in only a matter of minutes if it hadn't been for Naraku's ability to regenerate body parts and organs, which Sesshoumaru found mildly inconvenient. However, he was not given the title of TaiYoukai for nothing, and Naraku had fallen in the end to the acidic poison from his claws, until there was nothing left to regenerate. The entire battle and consequent clean-up had taken only a few hours, but Sesshoumaru was satisfied. The threat to Kagome had been nullified and now they could start the rest of eternity together. In a way (a very distant and abstract way), Sesshoumaru could almost be thankful to Naraku for being idiotic enough to challenge him by trying to take Kagome. Without the bastard's failed attempt, Kagome would still have remained ignorant of his existence and he would have remained alone for another three years. After touching her, kissing her, talking to her, he had known that he could never have gone back to anonymity.

So with a lighter heart, bloodlust satisfied, he returned back to his miko. He found her waiting exactly where he had left her, having fallen asleep waiting for him at the kitchen table with her head on her arms and something in his demonic heart had shifted into something that he knew he had never felt before and would never feel again for anyone but her. Something dangerously close to love. She was his and there was nothing more blocking his way to her.

Except, perhaps, Mrs. Higurashi.

It had been established at Kagome's birth that once Kagome had been made aware of Sesshoumaru's presence, there was to be a courting period of no less than one month before the physical mating ceremony would take place. When Sesshoumaru made to grab Kagome and whisk her away to his home for a more intimate introduction, Mrs. Higurashi had casually reminded him of the promise, and Kagome was lucky she was asleep to miss the scowl that had crossed his normally impassive face.

Granted, he was Sesshoumaru, the greatest TaiYoukai of the demon realm and he could have easily ignored the human, grabbed his miko, and then spend the rest of the night making her scream in pleasure, but one look at the steely-eyed but smiling face of Mrs. Higurashi and he was rethinking starting that battle. That woman could be downright scary sometimes. So while he would have to curb his initial plans, he was still unwilling to leave her for the night, and although he would not admit it, he wanted to feel her beside him, the warmth of her body to keep him company after so many lonely nights.

So that is how Sesshoumaru found himself fully clothed next to his equally fully clothed soon-to-be-mate in her tiny single bed that night after managing to carry her from the table without waking her. He spent that night achingly aroused, but soothed in a way he had not felt before.

The next morning, Kagome had found herself plastered to the very well defined (from the feel of it) and comfortable chest of the demon lord. No questions were asked from her about Naraku, she just simply smiled at him and wrapped herself around him in an embrace he had been waiting for most of his life. They lay there until the sounds of other people in the household were too much to ignore, just intent on each other and forging a connection between them that could last an eternity. It was beautiful in its simplicity.

Then Sesshoumaru began his courting process. Dinners, picnics, and outings were all planned for the pleasure of his miko, and he quickly found an amusing game in seeing how often he could surprise her with his extravagance. It was his wish to clothe her in the finest clothes and jewels that would only enhance her beauty. He kept it the barest minimum he could manage, however, because he would always see the faintest hint of her discomfort with some of the more expensive gifts. When he came to her house a week into the courting process with a new car that was meant for her, she finally had to put her foot down. She didn't understand his need to give her…well, everything. And he didn't understand why she didn't want to accept it. They exchanged words, both stubborn in their own right, about accepting the car. It wasn't until he smelled the faint scent of her tears on the wind that made him stop and really listen to her. She didn't want him to think that he needed to buy her anything to have her love. He quickly set her straight on that point with a rather aggressive kiss and a bit out explanation it was for _his _pleasure and pride that she have fine things. They reached a tentative understanding that day. She no longer completely balked when he bought her an expensive gift, and he checked his urge to buy her everything he thought she should have. Minimally.

While their courtship was by no means perfect (after all, he was rarely an emotional being while she was the exact opposite, and they were just getting to know each other…not to mention the sexual tension that practically had his skin crawling), they got along rather well.

Kagome herself had been completely swept away by the forceful personality of Sesshoumaru, but considered herself very fortunate to have such an intense being to call her own. And the way he stared at her throughout the courtship process at times, with a burning hunger that called to something within her, it was hardly hard to believe that as soon as the courtship period was up, she was ready to take their relationship to the next level. She actually found it quite funny that according to the promise made when she was born that they had to wait. She was a mischievous creature by heart, and took pleasure in teasing the poor Taiyoukai at every moment she could;

A sly, heavy-lidded glance, an "innocent" touch here and there when no one was looking, and she could ensure she had his full attention on her. And she made sure to touch his hair at every opportunity possible and didn't even try to hide her fascination with it, much to his unsaid amusement. She had to be careful not to push him too far though (even though it was tempting), because no matter where they were, he would reciprocate in kind without any iota of modesty. She would find herself being kissed silly in the most public places until it felt like she would explode with the heat he created, and then he would abruptly stop and give her a little smirk. And if his eyes were dilated with lust and desire at the time, well, no one was going to mention that.

And as soon as the promised month was up, he immediately had all of her things moved to his home and she was finally, finally in his bed. Where she belonged.

And now he was finally able to kiss, touch, lick, and suck all he wanted, and he damn well was going to take advantage of it.

And that was how Kagome found herself flat on her back in Sesshoumaru's bed, cool satin sheets at her back with his cool satin hair on her thighs, but a rough, hot tongue licking over the lips between her legs threatening to take away her sanity. Or cause her to self-combust.

"Sesshoumaru," she gasped out, unable to string together any coherent sentence, and she felt him hum in approval.

"Mmmmm. Again," he purred against her, and bit lightly at her clitoris, causing her legs to spasm and a louder cry of his name to leave her throat. "Perfect."

He moved his way back up her body, now lightly coated in a sheen of sweat and glowing in the soft light of the room, and he felt his cock give a painful jerk in his pants. He had seen to it that she was fully naked first, so he still had on his trousers, dress shirt and tie. In some dark part of his mind, he found this incredibly arousing.

But Kagome was having none of that. She was just as hungry for him as he was for her, and even though her though processes had scattered (because of his very talented tongue and mouth), she could still think enough to know that she wanted him naked. Now.

Wanting only to touch, to taste, to feel naked skin on naked skin, she became more bold. Grabbing his lips in a fierce kiss, catching him by surprise by plunging her tongue deep in his mouth, running over his dangerous canines that excited her so much, and her hands jerked harshly at the bottom of his shirt until she could run her hands greedily over his stomach muscles, which now quivered under her touch as he gave an involuntary groan of pleasure. Gratefully, she realized that his hands were now on the buttons of his shirt, hastily parting the material until he was able to rip it off and throw it on the floor with the rest of her clothes. She made a low sound of approval as the heat of his skin, so hot and burning, seared onto her palms as she immediately found two male nipples and rubbed slowly over them.

His body curiously melted against hers at the feeling as he took control of the kiss, slowly tangling with her tongue in a wet dance. He could never have imagined anything could feel as good as Kagome on his bed, wet for him and wanting him, and he had imagined a lot over the long years. Nothing compared to the reality. He could feel his sanity start to take a backseat as his lust threatened to consume him, and as she began to instinctively rub against him in silent appeal, he was in danger of coming in his pants.

He tore his lips from hers, panting harshly through reddened lips as he looked at the delicious display before him. Slender limbs spread across his bedspread like a decadent feast, pert, high breasts quivering as she tried to catch her breath, deep blue eyes looking dazed and limpid into his own. She was beautiful. And all his. Forever.

"Sesshoumaru," she murmured softly, bringing a hand up to gently cup his striped cheek. Fascinated, she watched her own hands trace the magenta markings of his heritage. Then, because she was so close and just couldn't resist, her fingers found themselves tangled in his hair, shifting through silk and satin that fell in a cool curtain around their bodies. Her nails scraped lightly against his scalp before moving to the pointed tip of his ear, intrigued. His body was so different than hers and she wanted to spend hours and hours exploring. He was hers now, her protector, dream man, lover…mate. She wanted to know him as well as she knew herself, and she was faintly surprised at the wantonness he inspired in her. She had always been a passionate person by nature, but Sesshoumaru was showing her facets of her own desire she didn't even know existed just by showing his blatant lust for her. It was a heady thing. And she would cherish it and take advantage of it all she could. How often could one say they had a sex god for a mate?

A fingernail scraped around the delicate folds of his ear and he shuddered atop her. The bulge she could feel in his pants jerked against where he was pressed so intimately against her, and a bolt of feminine thrill ran through her. She, lowly, ordinary human that she was (although he would be sure to offer a difference of opinion) could make this great demon lord tremble for her. It only made her fall in love with him more.

Her eyes softened as she gazed upon his beloved face, and she was sure he could see all of the emotion she was feeling. His full mouth, still damp from her kisses, lifted into a small, breathtaking smile, and while she knew he wouldn't say the words often, he loved her. He had waited all this time for her, only her, and she would make sure he never regret it.

Tenderly, he grabbed her hand that was cradling his head, and brought it to his mouth for a kiss and a little nip. Then he brought both of her hands down with his to his belt buckle, and she sucked in a breath as they both worked together to undo the clasp.

The sound of his zipper being pulled down was unnaturally loud in the room, but she paid it no mind as he shifted slightly off of her to take his slack and underwear off, until he was fully and gloriously bare to her eyes. And what a glorious sight it was. She was already aware of his drool-worthy chest and abs, and knew she would spend a great deal of time in the future nibbling and licking over all of the interesting dips and ridges of hard muscle, but his lower half intrigued her just as much. A pair of magenta stripes wrapped around his hips, drawing her gaze to the defined line where hip met thigh, and her eyes were inexorably drawn to the hard spike that jutted from between his well shaped thighs, already dripping in excitement.

She felt a bit more moisture gather at the junction of her own legs as she stared down at his cock, and without her fully realizing it, her hand had already reached out to touch. The heat overwhelmed her, and almost made her draw her hand back, but she didn't want to give up her prize. Smooth skin covered a column of steel with little ridges of veins running up its length, and he gave a slight groan as her hand moved upon him, causing him to flex and jerk in her palm.

She had barely run her fingers across the wet tip when he grabbed her hand in his own steely grip and slammed it with unintentional force onto the bed.

"Enough," he panted out, eyes gazing fiercely at her. A few more moments and he would have come all over her hand like a virgin school boy, and he was fairly astonished at the lack of control she inspired in him. Although, as he looked down into her pouting face, she was proving to be a glorious vixen in bed, willing to touch and tease him until he would go mad, and he knew he was going to love every minute of it. But he did not want things to end before they even got started.

He shifted his lean body over her until he was cradled between her thighs, his heavy length resting on the dripping lips of her woman hood, poised to enter her for the first time. He was the first, and he would be the last…that triumphant thought flashed through his brain for but a moment before he narrowed his eyes on his panting miko.

"Forever, Kagome," he said, moving the tip of him slightly over her entrance, tantalizing her. She nodded frantically, wanting, _needing _to feel him enter her so they could be joined as one. She didn't care if it hurt, she had no fear anymore of that moment. Not with him. She wanted all of him, just like he said, forever.

"For eternity. Say it!" he gritted out between clenched teeth, the heat of her making his hips jerk lightly, wanting to enter, wanting to _claim_ her and make her choke out his name breathlessly over and over and over again.

"All eternity, Sesshoumaru," she said, squeezing the hands that still held hers near her head on the pillow. She put every ounce of love and devotion she felt for him into her words. "Always."

Dropping his head down until his forehead met hers, he slowly, but relentlessly pushed forward into her body, breaking the barrier of her innocence and finally, finally…Sesshoumaru found his nirvana. An eternity of waiting for her, of watching her grow up without any knowledge of him, all of the lonely nights and days he spent longing for her, her skin, her scent, her touch, her love….all of it faded away as her inner muscles clasped around him lovingly in a snug fist, and his gaze flashed brilliantly white for one moment. She was now his mate.

Kagome had lost the ability to breathe as she felt his thick length enter her, not stopping until it felt like he had reached the end of her and could go no more. The sensation of him pushing into her had been both a delight and a torment. She could not stop the involuntary tears that sprang into her eyes as her flesh had been torn, but at the same time, he had filled a void in her that had been burning for him. She felt utterly filled, and as his hands let go of hers to cradle her head and give her a scorching, wet kiss, utterly loved.

Oh, and then he began moving, a slow silken slide in the beginning that had her moaning in equal parts discomfort and ecstasy. She could feel every inch of him most acutely, dragging along her inner walls as he moved back, only to thrust forwards again in a wet glide that she knew she could become addicted to. Slowly, slowly, he built up the tempo of his hips, stroking over her nub again and again until she couldn't keep her hips still and was meeting him thrust for thrust. All the while, his mouth never left hers, tongue entering and retreating her mouth, licking and sucking, matching the movements of his lower half until he broke away with a sharp groan, and his hips jerked once harshly out of rhythm before finding their smooth glide once more.

She gazed at his face, his mouth slightly open above hers, allowing her to see his deadly fangs and pink tongue, a slight flush on his pale, perfect skin, and his eyes…his eyes dilated so much that she only saw a thin ring of gold. He was looking down on her with such hunger that her body automatically tightened its hold around his cock, squeezing mercilessly, and he gasped as his hips jerked hard again.

"God," he grunted. "So…tight!" His hips began to move faster, harder, until the _slap slap slap _of skin on skin echoed in the room in a gloriously vicious cacophony.

She gasped out his name, the heat and throbbing building inside her until she knew she was going to break and fly away into a million pieces. "More."

He obliged, his hips no longer smooth and rhythmic, but pounding and helpless, wanting more more more more…

And in the next beautiful moment, Kagome shattered.

The burning that had consumed her ignited into an inferno that filled every inch of her body, and she shuddered helplessly through her climax, overwhelmed and screaming at the beauty of it all.

Impossibly, she felt his speed increase until she couldn't keep up anymore, and as the convulsions of her body reached the synapses of his mind, he snapped.

With an almost bestial roar, Sesshoumaru exploded inside his miko, his scalding seed fanning the flames of her body in long staccato bursts as he drove himself harder and harder into her, moving them up the bed through his climax. Finally, the torrent ended, but his hips couldn't stop moving, now gliding languidly in and out of her as he tried to recover from the single most intense and wonderful moment of his life. He felt completely drained, but completely satisfied. He had his mate.

Realizing that all of his weight was now resting on her, Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome around the waist and flipped them gracefully over until she was resting completely on top of him, still joined intimately. He wasn't about to let her go so soon, and as she snuggled into his chest, he knew she was in perfect agreement.

"Forever," she murmured sleepily, completely exhausted.

"Forever," he replied, his voice deep with tenderness as one clawed slipped through the strands of her hair gently while his other arm tightened around her waist, molding her to him. They were bound together now for eternity, the demon lord and the Shikon Miko. They would strive to bring peace between their peoples to fulfill the prophecy, but what was more important to him was the peace she inspired in his heart. She would be a strong mate for him to confide in, feisty enough to argue with, but gentle enough to lay together, much as they were then, in intimate moments. A truly perfect mate for him.

The scents of their lovemaking still hung in the air, causing his shaft to give another twitch inside of her, causing her to make a soft sound in the sleep she had succumbed to, and he tried to will himself under control. The hunger she provoked in him would take a long time to appease. He grinned slightly to himself as he realized he had all of eternity to take her as many times as he wanted. With her on top of him, riding him until he burst, or hard against the floor because their urgency couldn't let them make it to the bed. Every room…damn, every _surface_ of the house would have to be christened, and he found himself slowly hardening again at the thought. She was his anytime, anywhere.

As he came to full mast, she groaned again and opened those beautiful blue eyes to meet his in awakening hunger. He moved his hips up against her experimentally, and she gasped sharply, wide awake again. It was his turn to gasp as she gave him a wicked smile and sat up, legs hugging his hips as she began to move astride him. Oh, yes, definitely the perfect mate.

He couldn't wait to start on the rest of their lives.

* * *

A/N: And that's the end of it, lovelies. For those of you who were disappointed in the fight with Naraku that lasted, like, a paragraph, I'm sorry. i wasn't in an action type of mood.

If you support this story, please go vote on Dokuga. Voting starts Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010, if my sources are correct.

Until next time,

Mujitsu


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